Pages

Friday, July 08, 2016

Dear Readers,
it’s always a special day when I feature Lisa Harris on my blog. I first met
Lisa when she came to the critique group I host in my home, many years ago.
When she first read, I recognized her gift of storytelling. However, there were
a number of ways we could help her hone her craft. She was an eager learner,
and I’ve watched her writing grow and mature. As is often the case, the student
has far surpassed the teacher. Her Christian romantic suspense novels are some
of the best on the market. Now she and her husband are missionaries in Mozambique, Africa.

Welcome back, Lisa. What kind of files takes up
the most space on your computer?

And you take some very good ones. I love seeing
them. Do you have plans to ever retire from writing? Why or why not?

From
publishing books? Maybe, but I’m not sure I ever will completely retire from
storytelling. The stories always seem to be there, waiting to be put down on
paper.

Several
years ago, I read a report that they’re finding a larger percentage of alzheimer
patients among writers who stop writing than in the general population. I
decided then and there to never stop writing. Are you a stay at home kind of
person, or do you like to be on the road a lot?

We travel
a lot for our ministry, but I’m really a stay at home kind of person. I love
days when I don’t have to go anywhere.

Please
share a Bible verse or passage that has had the most impact on your life.

This verse
sticks out for me as a reminder to not give up, but to persevere. “. . .let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

Do you have a favorite Bible character? Who is
it and why?

I’ve
always loved Esther who was called for such a time as this. I want to be used
by God in whatever way He has planned for my life.

I have always been interested in Esther. I even
wrote a dramatic monologue of Esther. What has been your favorite time in your
life? And why?

Whenever I
have all my kids home at the same time. Right now they’re spread out in three different
countries which is tough for a mama. So having them all together—whenever we
can—is the best time.

Do you have an ereader? If so, what kind do you
use?

Yes, I
just got a Kindle Fire after we had one stolen and I like it. Living overseas
without any bookstores nearby it’s wonderful to be able to instantly get books
I want to read!

James gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas. I
didn’t even think he’d know how to go about doing something like that, and he really
didn’t. But he asked our grandson-in-law and one of our daughters to help him. Do
you read mostly print books or ebooks?

I still enjoy print books, but mostly read ebooks.

They’re surely easier to carry with you when you
travel. Do you like to read books in the genres you write, or do you read only
other genres … and why?

I love
romantic suspense, but always find myself critiquing them way too much. When I
read a historical, though, for example, I can just sit back and enjoy the
story. Strange, maybe, but definitely true. So a romantic suspense book that makes
me forget to critique is a keeper!

Please tell us about the book we’re featuring
today.

I’m so
excited about Missing. It’s book two in my Nikki Boyd Files series. Most of
the comments I’ve been reading say that you can read it as a stand alone without
any problems, but there are some overarching themes that you’d miss without
reading Vendetta, book one.

Nikki Boyd
isn’t usually called in on homicides; her forte is missing persons. But when a
case with two murdered and two missing pops up on a quiet suburban street, she’s
ready to start the investigation and find missing homeowners Mac and Lucy
Hudson. When the first clues lead her to the boat of her friend Tyler Grant—and
another dead body—Nikki must untangle what ties Tyler
to the Hudsons.
The clues pull her into a deadly maze of counterfeit drugs and a killer who
will stop at nothing to silence anyone who threatens his business—including
Nikki.

I know I’ll love this one. Please give us a peek
at the first page of the book.

8:25 a.m., Thursday

Nashville suburb

Nikki Boyd
slid out of her white Mini Cooper as two bagged bodies were being wheeled from
the one-story house nestled in one of Nashville’s
nicer suburbs. Her stomach clenched. Even after eight years on the force, the
emotional challenges of the job had yet to make her completely calloused. It
was impossible not to personalize some of what she saw. The cases she couldn’t solve.
The brokenness she couldn’t fix. But neither could she let her cases become
personal. She started down the walk where half a dozen police cars and the
local medical examiner had parked in front of the taped-off crime scene,
allowing both uniformed and plain-clothed officers to take over the sleepy,
tree-lined street. One of her teammates, Jack Spencer, stood waiting for her on
the curb dressed in one of his suit jackets and white dress shirt paired with a
typical blue-and-orange paisley tie.

“Morning,”
she said, holding up a takeaway box from her parents’ barbeque restaurant. “I
was having breakfast with my mom and Jamie when the call came in. Thought you
might like a couple of my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls to celebrate your first
day back to work.”

Five weeks
ago, he’d gotten shot in the middle of a hostage situation that had almost
gotten both of them killed.

“You can’t
imagine how happy I am to be back on the job,” Jack said. “Though next time,
I’d appreciate it if you’d remind me to duck when someone starts shooting at
me.”

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if not in US. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

I love suspense & I've heard great things about your stories Lisa! Congrats on the second book of your Nikki Boyd Files series. I haven't read the first one but I do have access to it through my library. Thanks for the heads up on needing to read it before this one. I do love series books :-) Thanks for the fun author interview & book giveaway!

What a great interview!And I am *so* excited to read this book! I don't usually read a ton of romantic suspense, but Lisa's first book in this series, "Vendetta" got me absolutely hooked and I want more!! :) I was a reviewer for that book, but haven't been reviewing as much this summer so didn't get to do the second book. Still can't wait to read it though - excited to continue the story!Thank you for this giveaway!